University presidents called before House education committee

Higher education watchers, mark your calendars. Next Friday is sure to be an interesting day in Tallahassee.

On the same day State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan will give a presentation to the Senate budget committee ona laundry list of questionsposed by committee chair JD Alexander, the House education committee is expected to launch into its own discussion on the future of Florida's higher ed system.

That committee's chair, Rep. Bill Proctor, has invited all 11 university presidents to participate in discussions "regarding ideas that could facilitate excellence in Florida's state university institutions and system," he said in a letter (attached).

The presidents are expected to cover seven topics:

1. A university profile -- The typical student population and the characteristics that make their institutions unique

2. STEM -- How their institutions best address the needs for graduates in those disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) and whether they have suggestions about reaching that goal.

3. General education -- The way the institutions structure those programs to ensure all students graduate with strong critical thinking and problem solving skills.

4. Research -- How they measure return on research investments and how they prioritize different aspects of research (basic and applied research versus commercialization of findings).

5. Collaboration -- Partnering methods with other institutions and business and industry entities.

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.